Coolest Computer Game Inspired Cross Stitch Patterns

Cross stitching and computer games are not two things that many people would immediately th

ink go hand in hand, however the sprites from older computer games make particularly good cross stitch patterns.

Using pre-existing stitch patterns

There are already plenty of websites offering cross stitch patterns, including several for computer games. Spritestitch.com has a wealth of tried and tested patterns to choose from, and an active forum full of people both posting patterns and requesting patterns that others may already have. The great thing about using a pattern that somebody else has already tried and tested is that it is likely that the thread colours can be relied upon to look good.

There are some pretty cool computer game inspired cross stitch patterns freely available on the internet. Websites with forums, along with social networking sites such as Facebook and Pinterest are full of people who are more than willing to share the creations that they are so proud of. Whilst simple patterns of just one character are fairly easy to come by, and not too difficult to generate from scratch, these sites are full of more complex ideas, such as an underwater Mario scene.

Creating a pattern from scratch

Whilst it may sound difficult, creating a pattern from scratch is not as hard as it sounds. There are many images around on the internet that can be turned into a cross stitch pattern with the help of freely available tools and software. Spriters-resource.com is a great resource as it has many sprites to download. Whilst these haven’t usually been created with cross stitching in mind, it is easy enough to turn one into a pattern.

Sprites will usually come as part of an image, showing the character doing a number of poses, whilst other images obtained online may come with additional characters or background features that you do not want as part of your cross stitch pattern. It is easy enough to use a free piece of software such as Paint, which comes preinstalled on most computers to crop an image, and then upload it to a website such as myphotostitch.com which has an easy to use tool for converting an image into a cross stitch pattern.

Creating a cross stitch without a pattern

Sometimes simple ideas work really well, and it is not always necessary to have a pattern if the design is easy enough to transfer. An example that works really well is anything relating to the game Tetris, as everything is rectangular. Tetris inspired cross stitch magnets are great fun, as creating several of them could allow for a mini-game of Tetris to be played on any magnetic surface, for example a fridge.

Sometimes several patterns can be used side by side to come up with something unusual, such as the Space Invaders belt, which is made up of lots of sprites next to each other. Whilst it would be necessary to find or create the individual sprites, the overall design on an unusual shape such as a belt can be customised.

Paying for a cross stitch pattern

Whilst many people who come up with cool, video game inspired cross stitch patterns are willing to share them for free, others come up with designs as a way of making money. Esty.com has a number of cross stitch patterns for sale at a low price, including a comic book inspired Sonic the Hedgehog pattern and an alphabet of computer game characters.

Why turn video games into cross stitch patterns?

Scenes and characters from computer games are made up of pixels. These are particularly noticeable in retro games. Each of these pixels is very similar to one cross stitch, so characters and scenes from games make ideal templates for cross stitch patterns. These cross stitches are not only fun to make, but are a great gift for any computer game fan. The internet is full of inspiring ideas and people willing to help make ideas become a reality.